Feature image: Debra Brehmer and Frank Juárez at Paradigm Coffee + Music. Photo: Alison Kleiman.
By Frank Juárez
Art Muscle debuted in the Milwaukee art community in 1986. The magazine was founded by UW-Milwaukee graduate student Debra Brehmer, who is an arts writer, historian, and owner of Portrait Society Gallery Contemporary Art in the Historic Third Ward. The germ of the idea, says Brehmer, probably came from her love of Interview Magazine (founded by Andy Warhol) as a disgruntled teenager locked in a suburban bedroom. Brehmer studied journalism with an emphasis in the arts at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. During her time there, she had an internship at a weekly newspaper, and after graduation worked for several years as a feature editor at a daily paper. Through this experience, she learned how publishing works. Later, she worked for the Milwaukee Art Museum as the editor of its publications. She decided to go to graduate school for art history at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. This is where the story began.
15, 1988. Image courtesy of Debra Brehmer.
Like many publications, an idea must take interest. During her graduate school years, a classmate, Jerome Schultz, approached Brehmer, whom he knew had a background in editing and publishing, and said, “We should start an art publication in Milwaukee.” Brehmer responded with, “Yeah, we probably should.” So, they did. That was it.
Art Muscle encompassed the heart of what it meant to be alive in the arts. With its democratic approach to arts writing, it tapped into every possible avenue of self-expression, media, and discipline. Whether it was visual, performance, literary, music, film, or even oddities, Art Muscle was a place to showcase them. A vision was conceptualized, planned, and executed to address a need in the art world. This brought diverse and creative minds to the table, coming from academia and the visual arts worlds. The initial group of collaborators disbanded shortly after the first issue due to differences in opinion as to what the direction of the publication should be.
Images courtesy of Debra Brehmer.
Part of the group wanted it to be a non-profit critical journal to serve more of the academic world, whereas the other part of the group wanted to make the publication broadly appealing and rooted in the city – collaborative and engaged. It became a for-profit business whose office was located on the corner of 9th and National Avenue in Milwaukee. The office was initially on the top floor above what used to be the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, and later moved around the corner. Art Muscle had a circulation of 20,000 and was published bi-monthly. It was distributed free in Milwaukee and sold on newsstands statewide and nationally.
In 1995, Art Muscle was sold to Judith Moriarity, a long-time contributor and writer. Running a bi-monthly magazine was a challenging undertaking that eventually led to its dissolution in 1997. I was intrigued by the name of the publication when I heard about it in the early 2000s. In 2018, John Shannon, owner of Guardian Fine Art Services, with an interest in archives, preservation, and publishing, funded the digitization of all 62 issues of Art Muscle to become part of UW-Milwaukee Special Collections. Access to this online database of the city’s arts and cultural history is vital to understanding the foundation that put Milwaukee on the national map. Brehmer mentioned that in 1987, artist Julian Schnabel gave a presentation at the Milwaukee Art Museum. In his hand, he held up a copy of Art Muscle and said, “What the f#@& is this? I would expect this in New York, not in Milwaukee.” The magazine had published a skeptical assessment of his work.
Today, the iconic publication has resurfaced modestly, with supporters seen wearing an Art Muscle t-shirt. This nostalgic experience has spread throughout the city and beyond, revisiting memories and providing a new generation of creatives with an understanding of how the 80s and 90s became pivotal times for the arts in Milwaukee, led by the people behind it. People are proudly wearing and supporting this publication with selfies shared on social media.
Could there be something else in the future that celebrates the arts, culture, and community that Art Muscle has shaped? Only time will tell.
View the digitized Art Muscle collection at uwm.edu/lib-collections/art-muscle
The Story Behind the Iconic Art Muscle is published in Issue 40. Purchase a copy here.
Frank Juárez is an award-winning art educator, curator, and arts advocate based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Known for his commitment to elevating contemporary art and supporting Wisconsin artists, Juárez has spearheaded numerous initiatives, including the Midwest Artist Studios Project and the 365 Artists 365 Days Project. In addition to his roles as publisher of Artdose magazine and editor-in-chief of SchoolArts magazine, Juárez has curated exhibitions and juried art shows throughout the Midwest. His dedication to art education and advocacy has earned him numerous accolades, making him a pivotal figure in Wisconsin’s art community.